An Overview of HMGB1 and its Potential Role as a Biomarker for RSV Infection

Abstract

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), an enveloped, non-segmented, negative-sense RNA virus of the Paramyxoviridae family, is the most common respiratory pathogen in infants and young children worldwide, also leading to lower respiratory tract infections during infancy and subsequent development of recurrent wheezing and asthma in childhood. Despite many years of research, we still lack reliable biomarkers of the disease activity as well as effective vaccines and therapeutic strategies. Recent studies have directed attention toward High Mobility Group Box-1 (HMGB1), a 30 kDa nuclear and cytosolic ubiquitous protein, belonging to the alarmins family and promoting an immediate activation of the innate immune response, as a biomarker potentially able to elucidate the link between the RSV and chronic airway dysfunction. Herein, we aimed to summarize what is known on RSV-HMGB1 link, also describing recent findings coming from our experimental studies.